Health of retired Pope Benedict XVI 'worsening,' Vatican says

Earlier Wednesday, Pope Francis asked the faithful to pray for Benedict and went to visit his predecessor in the monastery on Vatican grounds.

Pope Francis orders return of Parthenon Sculpture fragments to Greece

The Vatican on Friday termed the gesture a “donation” from the pope to His Beatitude Ieronymos II, the Orthodox Christian archbishop of Athens and all Greece.

Pope laments 'icy winds of war' in Christmas address

"Indeed, we must acknowledge with sorrow that, even as the Prince of Peace is given to us, the icy winds of war continue to buffet humanity," Pope Francis said.

As Hanukkah begins, President Biden and others condemn rising antisemitism

The Anti-Defamation League tracked 2,717 antisemitic instances of assault, harassment and vandalism last year, the highest number since it tracking them in 1979.

Man pleads guilty to hate crime, arson charges for setting fire to Missouri Islamic center

The 44-year-old man poured contents from containers in the foyer and hallway and then lit a fire, which destroyed the center. About a dozen people escaped the building, and no one was injured.

Mormon church shows support for same-sex marriage law, believes act is still unbiblical

The nearly 17-million-member, Utah-based faith said in a statement that church doctrine would continue to consider same-sex relationships to be against God's commandments.

On Kristallnacht anniversary, Holocaust survivors warn about antisemitism, hate speech

On Nov. 9, 1938, the Nazis, among them many ordinary Germans, killed at least 91 people and vandalized 7,500 Jewish businesses during Kristallnacht — the “Night of Broken Glass.”

FBI warns of 'broad threat' to NJ synagogues

The FBI's Newark field office said agents are investigating a "broad threat" against synagogues in New Jersey. The state attorney general said you'll see increased police patrols in sensitive areas "in an abundance of caution."

Hurricane Ian shakes Florida's faith, but can't destroy it

Priests walk a fine line between holding Mass to provide comfort and not endangering older parishioners in areas with widespread lack of running water and electricity and flooded roadways.

Poll: 23% say they have prayed for the outcome of a professional sports event

About 3 in 10 U.S. adults say they believe prayer can play a role in determining who wins a sporting event, and a similar percentage say God plays a role in determining which team goes home the victor.

Advocates list 100s of allegedly abusive California priests

Advocates for victims of clergy sexual abuse delivered a list of more than 300 publicly accused abusers to the Roman Catholic archbishop of San Francisco on Thursday as they urged him to release his “secret” files on credibly accused priests.

Queen Elizabeth II and the Church of England: The late monarch's faith beliefs

As Queen Elizabeth II is mourned, here are some details of the Church of England, of which she was a member. The history of this church is explained, as well as what it meant to the Queen.